Uncovering the Roots of the Nationwide Counterpublic Sphere in China by Ya-Wen Lei A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology) in The University of Michigan 2013 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Greta R. Krippner, Chair Associate Professor Mary E. Gallagher Professor Mark S. Mizruchi Professor Yu Xie © Ya-Wen Lei _________________________________________________________ 2013 Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance, care, and support of many teachers, friends, and family members. This is my opportunity to express my deep gratitude to them. I would like to express my profound thanks to my dear advisor Greta Krippner for her excellent guidance, caring, and friendship. I always feel extremely blessed and honored to have been Greta’s student and first advisee. She has stood by me every step of the way through the adventure of graduate school. Her mentorship is paramount in providing me with intellectual stimulation to develop my research agenda. I know with confidence that I would not be where I am today without Greta. I would also like to thank my other dissertation committee members and other faculty at the University of Michigan. I thank Mary Gallagher for opening my eyes to the field of Chinese studies. My research greatly benefits from her helpful insights and suggestions, as well as her inspiring work. Mark Mizruchi continually conveys a spirit of excellence in regard to scholarship and an excitement in regard to teaching. I was fortunate to have been Mark’s GSI for one year. I have learned how to be an engaging ii teacher from him. Peggy Somers, who taught me about social and political theories, gave me tremendous insight into how I should frame and conduct my research. Her work always inspires and impresses me with new ideas. Although Yu Xie and I come from very different intellectual traditions, I have greatly benefited from his teaching, criticism, and generous help in many aspects. In addition to my committee members, I would also like to thank Robert Jansen for teaching me how to think and how to write. My sincere thanks also go to David Harding, Sandra Levitsky, and Kiyoteru Tsutsui for their encouragement and feedback. I am also indebted to faculty members outside the University of Michigan. I thank Amy Chua at Yale Law School for her encouragement and assistance. Sheldon Levy at Wayne State University read part of my dissertation, gave me instructive feedback, and encouraged me to undertake an ambitious research agenda. Amartya Sen and Noah Feldman at Harvard University read three chapters of my dissertation. Their questions and feedback helped me to defend my argument and think beyond the sociological perspective. I would not have been able to accomplish all that I have without the institutional support that I have received both in the United States and Taiwan. At the University of Michigan, I received funding from Rackham Graduate School, the Center for Chinese Studies, and the Department of Sociology. The dissertation was also supported by the iii National Science Foundation, the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, and the ROC Ministry of Education. I am indebted to my friends and colleagues at the University of Michigan. I had numerous Friday dinners and coffees with Alwyn Lim, Byungho Lee, Hiro Saito, and Hiroe Saruya. Talking to them was one of the most pleasant things I could look forward to every week at graduate school. As a latecomer to sociology, I have benefited so much from these fantastic sociologists. I especially thank Alwyn for his generosity – a virtual walking encyclopedia, he answered my numerous questions about sociology. I give heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Kim Greenwell, my outstanding editor for her brilliant work, feedback, and friendship. I am grateful to Amanda Ashman, Patricia Chen, Drew Foster, Marco Garrido, Alix Gould-Werth, Dan Hirschman, Mikell Hyman, Nana Lee, Ava Morgenstern, Rachael Pierotti, Todd Schifeling, Matt Sullivan, and Qingjie Zeng for their generosity. They helped me to think about my project from different perspectives. I thank Xiaodan Daniel Zhou for his warm friendship and collaboration. Had it not for Xiaodan, I would not have studied the public sphere in China. I want to extend my gratitude and thankfulness to Hsiu-Hui Chen, Xiping Cheng, Mica Garrido, Sun-Jae Hwang, Minyoung Kwak, Julia Lee, Sarah Levin, Qing Lai, Katie Montel, Kerby Shedden, and Zheng Mu for their encouragement and friendship. My gratitude also goes to Pat Preston and Jeannie Worrall for their excellent administrative service. iv I am grateful to many friends in China. Tianzhao Liu was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan. Talking with Tianzhao in her cozy apartment on snowy days is an unforgettably pleasant memory for me. I have learned so much from Tianzhao about media in China. I thank Lin Wang for his friendship and assistance of my fieldwork. I talked with Lin almost weekly when he was a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan. I benefited so much from Lin’s knowledge and wisdom. Furthermore, I deeply thank many of the friends and interviewees whom I cannot name due to confidentiality. I cannot forget how touched I was when I listened to their stories. The encouragement, support, and assistance from many friends in China always motivates me to work harder in return for what I have received from them. I would like to thank my friends in Taiwan. I am grateful to Vincent Huang, Allen Li, Jolly Lin, Li-Wei Lu, and Min-Yui Tseng for their friendship and best wishes. I thank MJ Wang, my best friend and mentor in many aspects of life. Even though MJ is so occupied with his work, he reads much of my writing and discusses it with me on a regular basis. He gives me so much, but never asks for anything in return. His faith in me enables me to overcome many hurdles and remain stable even under stress. Finally, and most importantly, I am deeply indebted to my dear family. I thank my mom, Shu-Ling Wu. She respects my life choices and gives me unconditional love. She has been working so hard to give my sisters and I a great family and the opportunity to pursue our interests – whether art, history of art, law, neuroscience, and/or sociology. I v have been freed from many material and ideological constraints because of her. I thank my two sisters. Ya-Chun always thinks of me and supports me. She helped to take care of Ning-Er when Ning-Er was little. When I moved from New Haven to Ann Arbor, Ya-Chun even flew from Taiwan to the United States to help me settle down. Ya-Ting and I came to the United States in the same year to pursue doctoral degrees. She understands the pressures of graduate school and always encourages me. Traveling with Ya-Ting is one of the most joyful things I have done in recent years. I thank Ning-Er, my daughter and little friend. Ning-Er gives me pleasure and meaning in life. I feel that we have been growing together. I am still learning how to be a mom, and I thank Ning-Er for her understanding. Lastly, I thank my grandma, my dad, my brothers-in-law Yu-Hsun and Tong-Wey, my niece Yu-Chien, and other family members for their love. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ........................................................................................................... x List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xii List of Appendices ................................................................................................ xiii List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................ xiv Abstract…………. ................................................................................................. xv Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1. The past and present of public opinion in China ..................................... 1 1.2. The problem and its significance ........................................................... 11 1.3. Theoretical framework .......................................................................... 20 1.4. Methodology and research methods ...................................................... 40 1.5. My central argument and chapter outline .............................................. 44 Chapter 2: Situating the Rise of a Nationwide Counterpublic Sphere in Historical Context………..................................................................................... 49 2.1. The development of public opinion and the public sphere in China ..... 50 2.2. Situating the development of the public sphere in historical context .... 68 vii 2.3. Conclusion ............................................................................................. 88 Chapter 3: Disseminating Law to the Populace: From Lawlessness to the Emergence of A Nationwide Symbolic Structure Based On Laws and Rights ................................................................................................... 89 3.1. Theorizing the cultural medium of the public sphere ............................ 90 3.2. Data analysis strategy ............................................................................ 98 3.3. The formation of a symbolic structure based on laws